The Ghosts of Berlin

What is the intention of a memorial? Is it to remember those who were unjustly treated or to honor those who showed extraordinary bravery or to remind a nation of its proudest moments? In Germany the idea of a memorial has begun to take on a slightly different meaning. In recent years Germans have found themselves deciding what deserves to be memorialized and what should just be forgotten. In Germany's recent history there are two era's that I would like to focus on: the time of WWII/ the 3rd Reich and the time of the Wall/ Foreign occupation. I selected these two periods because they offer two different situational attitudes. In the era of the 3rd Reich, the German people were responsible for the authority of the government; while in the time of the Berlin Wall, the Germans were the under the oppression of foreign rulers. In one case a monument reminds Germans of their own transgressions, whereas, in the case of the Berlin Wall, a monument begins to show the cruelty the Germans were subject to in a time of foreign occupation. With this, I would like to look at how these two time periods are represented, as memorials, in modern day Berlin.

The largest portion of memorials in Berlin are of the WWII period, as Berlin was the main headquarters for the 3rd Reich. These memorials are fall into a couple of categories: memorials to the victims of the Nazis, memorials to the fallen Russian soldiers, and memorials meant to provide a view of how the Nazi party functioned. One of the first memorials I was able to visit was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. This memorial, in my opinion, was very successful in relaying the solemn nature of its intent. The large field of stellae create a maze of light and sound that begin to make the very static stone seem to come alive with memory. One of the most impressive monuments we were able to see was the one at Treptow Park. This monument is dedicated to the Russian soldiers who fell in the Battle of Berlin. Although monuments of this nature can be hard for a country to approve of, many of them are necessary to remind us that all actions have consequences. One memorial that must be mentioned is the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial. The first concentration camp opened by the Nazis, Dachau served mainly as a area to hold political opponents and foreign saboteurs, though it was also well known for its extermination chambers. There are many factors that contribute to the grim feeling one experiences when entering this place. It is crucial that places of this nature be kept as a reminder of the evil mankind is capable of.

If you were trying to describe the mentality of Berlin, and Germany as a whole, in the time just following WWII it could be best accomplished with one word, Fractured. This fracturing was the direct result of the competing ideologies of foreign occupiers. The Wall, that stood from August 1961 till November 1989, was a constant presence in the thoughts and lives of every Berliner both East and West. With the fall of the wall came the debate of how it should be remembered or if it was even worth of memory. There has been an overwhelming majority of Berliners who feel the wall should be completely demolished in both the physical and historical sense. This has been hotly debated as the Wall has slowly evaporated over the past 20 years. Only a few portions remain of the wall, the large majority of which was destroyed by the state. One of the most popular Berlin Wall memorials is that of Checkpoint Charlie. This place has been highly commercialized and begins to show you the underlying sentiment of a place people wish to forget. The Berlin Wall Memorial had a more serious feeling to it. This small park is dedicated to remembering the Wall and those who fell victim to it. It has a much more serious feel to it. I found this park a much more reflective place, and a place much more appropriate to the magnitude of the subject.

In discussing the subject of memorials in Germany, one will always find many different points of view from which to speculate. Both eras in which my subject matter is found are deserving of remembrance. Although, as is usually the case, some of these memorials have lost the substance of their message, while some still convey the intent to which they were purposed. It is apparent that Berlin will feel the repercussions of each of these era's for many years to come.